Best electric sander for fiberglass?

[Bmarler]

It was barely touched on earlier in the thread, but a forced rotation orbital is a far better choice for aggressive removal. Look at a Mikita Bo6050j.
I use a similar machine, just an earlier version. It has two modes, random orbit and forced rotation orbital.
As a bonus, it is a fantastic buffer too. Almost all professional body men and detailers use forced rotation machines.
They can be a little heavier, but I find that helpful.

 

[Comodave]

Comodave - I own three Porter Cable 6-inch sanders. Bought the first one over 30 years ago. I own several because I have one boat and two houses. Now, i don't recall how much work I've done with any single one, but I do know I've done at least 4 bottom jobs with two of them - full sanding removal of bottom paint (long ago when that type of work was allowed). With the exception of replacing the pad, I have never had a failure. Not even brushes which is amazing when I think about it. Especially given how abusive the inherent sanding action is to a motor and bearings.

My newest PC sander is probably 7-10 years old so maybe they're different now. But they have been amazingly durable.

My question to you: sounds like you've had a couple failures of your Ridgid sander. But you sound like you use it a lot. In your opinion, do you think the failures were inline with usage? As mentioned above, the HD warranty is compelling, and I've had nothing but good experiences with returning stuff to HD as they view it as a cost of business so I would expect nothing but courtesy if I returned my Ridgid for repair. But compared to my long term experience with my Porter Cable, sounds like the Ridgid may not be as durable? But I really don't know.

Peter

They were used very hard. Lots of dust. One died but they replaced the motor under warranty. So I can’t complain about that. I have a ton of Ridgid tools and haven’t had any other real issues. Pretty happy with them. The line of tool isn’t as comprehensive as Dewalt but they have everything I need.

 

[mvweebles]

. The line of tool isn’t as comprehensive as Dewalt but they have everything I need.

These days, along with getting a social security number assigned, you figure out whether your newborn will be a Dewalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, etc. cordless tool person and that's what you stick with.

What's odd on this thread is Porter Cable generally isn't a high quality line of tools. They used to be but haven't been for a long time. But their 6-inch sander seems to remain a standout. For corded tools, I have a mix - Bosch jigsaw, Makita angle grinder. Milwaukee right angle drill. I don't use a circular saw much and never replaced the cheap Ryobi I bought for a single project.

Peter

 

[Comodave]

About 3 years ago my 18 volt Dewalt tools were in need of some new batteries. I had about 20 batteries. I decided to go with Ridgid since they have the lifetime warranty even on the batteries. The batteries are usually what go bad so with the warranty that was the deciding factor. Although I have not had any go bad so far.

 

[jgwinks]

On the cheaper DA's and maybe the expensive ones too, there's a bearing just under the pad that clogs up with dust and stops turning. Not damaged, just clogged. 4 screws to remove the pad, 1 to remove the bearing. Clean it out with a shot of WD or brake cleaner and it's good as new. Takes 5 minutes. By the time the bearing clogs the pad might be due for replacement anyway. When it starts getting easier to peel the old discs off, the pad is shot. Eventually a disc will fly off leaving the bare pad spinning on the surface you're sanding. Then it's really shot.

 

[jgwinks]

One thing to look at is the attachment for the dust bag. Most are rectangular but some are round and fit the smaller shop vac hoses. I deliberately bought the round one and ended up throwing the bag away, I never run the sander without my one gallon vac attached which I purchased just for that use. Virtually dust free. If I'm sanding wood I clean out the vac first then keep the clean, fine dust as a filler for epoxy or polyester. Boat builders call it wood flour and use it as a structural filler. You can buy it, but it's free if you make your own.

 

[lwarden]

Back in the 80's when I was doing a lot of boat work I lived with a Rockwell speed block in my right hand. I still have one today but have been using a 5" Porter Cable low profile sander which is no longer available unfortunately, it's about 10 years old now. I've had to replace the oscillating bearing once and it's about ready again, I keep a spare on-hand. It's done a lot of work over the years. I really like the balance of it and connected to a strong vacuum it's nearly dust free, especially with the net style of pads. The only thing I don't like about it is the dust connection port which uses a friction o-ring to retain it. I have to duct tape it on or it keeps wiggling off.

 

[fgarriso]

Not to go against the popular opinion here, but we like the belt sanders. It keeps the surface flatter than the disk and will not gouge in like some of the disk will. Also, it is easier to control the dust.

 

[Snapdragon III]

I am planning on starting on the same job this summer on my boat. My plan is to buy a Festool rotex sander. They are super expensive, but I borrowed one a couple years ago and was super impressed. I also need to keep the dust to an absolute minimum as I am going to try and do the job in my marina.

 

[Simi 60]

Boatbuilder says Hitachi sat 180 with soft pad for the grunt and a festo random orbit for the finish
I've had no joy with cheaper random orbitals.

 

[Comodave]

Not to go against the popular opinion here, but we like the belt sanders. It keeps the surface flatter than the disk and will not gouge in like some of the disk will. Also, it is easier to control the dust.

A belt sander in the hands of an inexperienced person can sand so fast it will leave large divots. I use a belt sander regularly but I used to be a cabinet maker and have used them for a long time. For a new person doing sanding a DA is the better way to go since it will take less off and be less likely to damage the surface. Just hold it in contact with the surface before starting it.

 

[Datenight]

A belt sander in the hands of an inexperienced person can sand so fast it will leave large divots. I use a belt sander regularly but I used to be a cabinet maker and have used them for a long time. For a new person doing sanding a DA is the better way to go since it will take less off and be less likely to damage the surface. Just hold it in contact with the surface before starting it.

+1
Rob

 

[Gdavid]

This is unsolicited advice but treat yourself to a full-face shield with integrated respirator. It is the only way I have found to keep the dust out of my eyes. Even the no-name brands off of amazon work well and use the same cartridge filters as the 3m units. They are a game changer.